ON DISPLAY:
February 17th, 2015 through March 27, 2015
Curated by Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos

JOHN JAY COLLEGE, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK’S, PRESIDENT’S GALLERY proudly presents 108 Kilometers in Exile.

Marina Leybishkis questions the validity of the so-called deviant social construct by photographing its subjects: the sick, homeless, mentally ill, unwed mothers, alcoholics, drug addicts, political outcasts, and other marginalized subjects. Leybishkis was initially inspired by a specific phenomenon that existed in Soviet Uzbekistan, her country of birth, called ‘parasitism,’ which was used to connote anyone who led what was considered an antisocial life, i.e. not earning a living. These outcasts were considered high risk and were thus exiled up to 108 kilometers outside the geographical boundaries of what was considered living space for the norm.